Tag: statistics

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2022 May 31;68(5):146-152. doi: 10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.20.

ABSTRACT

Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are glycoproteins that stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells in the bone marrow. But numerous studies have shown that these factors can stimulate the proliferation of non-hematopoietic cells, including cancer cells. Hence, in this study, Macrophage-CSF (M-CSF), macrophage-granulocyte CSF (GM-CSF), and granulocyte-SCF (G-CSF) were evaluated in the serum of patients with breast tumors and their relationship with pathological and paraclinical parameters of the disease. In this study, 62 patients with breast cancer who had not received any treatment and 54 healthy women who matched the age group with the patient group were included as a control group. After obtaining informed consent, 5ml of peripheral blood was taken from both groups, and their serum was isolated. Serum levels of the studied cytokines were measured by the cytokine-bead array method. Data were analyzed using SPSS18 software and a significance level of 0.05. The mean serum levels of M-CSF, G-CSF, and GM-CSF growth factors in patients with breast cancer were 63.48, 16.13, and 6.11pg/ml, respectively. Although the statistical analysis did not show a significant difference between serum levels of these growth factors in the patient and control groups (p <0.05), further studies showed that with increasing disease stages from I to III, serum levels of GM-CSF significantly. Decreases (p = 0.016). Overall, the results of this study indicated the antitumor role of GM-CSF in breast cancer. However, confirmation of these results requires more complete studies with larger sample sizes.

PMID:36029494 | DOI:10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.20

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2022 May 31;68(5):60-71.

ABSTRACT

Ghrelin is a gut hormone has stimulatory properties on food intake, fat deposition and growth hormone release. Zingerone is a component of ginger with multiple pharmacological activities. They were established that have protective roles against oxidative stress actions. We planned this study to evaluate pretreatment exogenous Ghrelin alone and or accompanied with Zingerone on ischemia-reperfusion injury to gastric fundus wall. Fifty male albino rats were used and subdivided into control, ischemic- reperfusion, Ghrelin pretreated and Ghrelin Zingerone pretreated groups. Specimens from the stomach fundus were processed for histological, immunohistochemical study and gene expression using real time PCR. Morphometric and statistical analyses were also carried out in this research. In ischemic-reperfusion sections, there were deep erosion and distortion of the mucosa. Chief cells appeared with vacuolated cytoplasm and pyknotic nuclei. Congestion of blood vessels with extravasation and cellular infiltration was also noticed. There was a decrease in mucous secreted cells in PAS-stained sections. Sections from Ghrelin pretreated and Ghrelin Zingerone pretreated groups showed a great improvement. In addition, gastric tissues with the ischemia-reperfusion group showed a significant decrease in enos and nrf2 mRNA expression while there was a significant increase in HIF and VEGF, which is counteracted to Ghrelin pretreated and Ghrelin Zingerone pretreated groups. This study revealed the vital protective role of Ghrelin in concomitant with Zingerone than pretreated Ghrelin alone on attenuating the damage changes of fundus that occurred after experimentally induced gastric ischemia-reperfusion.

PMID:36029495

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2022 May 31;68(5):103-110. doi: 10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.14.

ABSTRACT

The study focused on the role of mitophagy in neonatal ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Immunoassays were used to study the TLR9 signaling pathway of neonatal VILI, expected to provide a feasible solution for neonatal VILI. The mice were randomly divided into four groups, group A: spontaneous breathing group; group B: normal tidal volume (VT) group (VT=9mL/kg); group C: high VT group (VT=39mL/kg); and group D: ODN2088 (400μg/ Only) intervention + high VT group. The four groups were compared for the expression of inflammatory factors. It was found that as the culture time increased, the expression of TLR9, MyD88, and NF-κBp65 in the lung tissue of the large VT group was significantly higher than those in the spontaneous breathing group and normal VT group, and the differences were statistically significant; and TLR9 inhibitors could activate the TLR9-MyD88 signaling pathway to up-regulate the expression of NF-κB, mediating the release of inflammatory factors to cause VILI.

PMID:36029492 | DOI:10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.14

Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2022 May 31;68(5):186-191. doi: 10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.25.

ABSTRACT

Intra Venous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a plasma-derived product used to treat many autoimmune diseases, including thrombocytopenia, immunodeficiency, and infectious diseases. In this study, the effect of IVIG injection was evaluated on the number of white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelets. The effect of IVIG was also considered on the percentage of CD4 and CD8 positive cells T cell lymphocytes and their absolute number in pediatric patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura. The study was a cross-sectional study performed on 32 patients with ITP. In these patients, a blood sample was taken before and one hour after the start of the IVG injection. For all samples, a complete blood cell, platelet count, and differential blood leukocyte count were performed by Sysmex kx-21. Then labeled anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 markers were used to evaluate the type of lymphocytes. SPSS software version 15 and a t-test with a significant level of p <0.05 were used for statistical analysis of the obtained results. Pearson correlation coefficient was also used to evaluate the relationship between patients’ age and the total volume of injected IVIG results. Examination of blood cell counts showed a significant decrease in the mean of white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes after intravenous immunoglobulin injection. However, these changes were not statistically significant for platelets. A comparison of the mean percentage of CD4 and CD8 cells shows a significant increase in the CD4 / CD8 cell ratio after injection. The absolute number of CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes one hour after IVIG injection was significantly decreased, but their proportion increased after injection. Generally, IVIG reduces the absolute number of neutrophils, but this reduction is not associated with infection problems. This decrease is also seen in the number of lymphocytes. However, the change in the number and percentage of CD4 and CD8 cells depends on the sampling time following IVIG injection.

PMID:36029490 | DOI:10.14715/cmb/2022.68.5.25

Rev Med Virol. 2022 Aug 27:e2390. doi: 10.1002/rmv.2390. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

With COVID-19 still hovering around and threatening the lives of many at-risk patients, an effective, quick, and inexpensive prognostic method is required. Few studies have shown fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) to be promising as prognostic markers for COVID-19 disease. However, their implications remain unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the prognostic role of FAR and CAR in COVID-19 disease. A systematic literature search was undertaken using PubMed and Embase till April 2022. Inverse variance standardised mean difference (SMD) was calculated to report the overall effect size using random effect models. The generic inverse variance random-effects method was used to pool the area under the curve (AUC) values. All statistical analyses were performed on Revman and MedCalc Software. A total of 23 studies were included. COVID-19 non-survivors had a higher CAR on admission compared with survivors (SMD = 1.79 [1.04, 2.55]; p < 0.00001; I² = 97%) and patients with a severe COVID-19 infection had a higher CAR on admission than non-severe patients (SMD = 1.21 [0.54, 1.89]; p = 0.0004; I² = 97%). Similarly, higher mean FAR values on admission were significantly associated with COVID-19 mortality (SMD = 0.55 [0.32, 0.78]; p < 0.00001; I² = 82%). However, no significant association was found between mean FAR on admission and COVID-19 severity (SMD = 0.54 [-0.09, 1.18]; p = 0.09; I² = 91%). The pooled AUC values found that CAR had a good discriminatory-power to predict COVID-19 severity (AUC = 0.81 [0.75, 0.86]; p < 0.00001; I² = 80%) and mortality (AUC = 0.81 [0.74, 0.87]; p < 0.00001; I² = 86%). FAR had a fair discriminatory-power to predict COVID-19 severity (AUC = 0.73 [0.64, 0.82]; p < 0.00001; I² = 89%). Overall, CAR was a good predictor of both severity and mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Similarly, FAR was a satisfactory predictor of COVID-19 mortality but not severity.

PMID:36029484 | DOI:10.1002/rmv.2390

Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2022 Aug 27. doi: 10.1111/inm.13056. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Stigma attached to schizophrenia among patients is a global concern to mental health advocates. The extent of internalized stigma experienced by consumers with schizophrenia living in the community and its correlates have not been fully explored. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of high internalized stigma and its association with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, personality traits and aspects of health-related quality of life among community-dwelling consumers with schizophrenia. A descriptive, correlational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted with 149 consumers from outpatient psychiatric clinics of two hospitals in Taiwan. Face-to-face interviews with structured questionnaires were adopted. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, chi-squares tests, independent t-tests and a binary logistic regression analysis. Approximately 41.6% of consumers with schizophrenia experienced high internalized stigma. In the subscales, a high experience of discrimination experience (43.6%) was reported, followed by alienation (34.2%), social withdrawal (28.2%), stereotype endorsement (24.8%) and stigma resistance (20.8%). Being younger at the onset of schizophrenia, attaining lower education, having a history of suicidality, fewer positive personality traits and poor aspects of health-related quality of life were significantly associated with high internalized stigma. Personality traits in the domains of emotional stability and conscientiousness and social and environmental aspects of health-related quality of life appeared to be the most relevant to risk of high internalized stigma. Anti-stigma initiatives coupled with personality-traits modules and modifications of health-related quality of life are suggested for mental health professionals and policy makers to ameliorate internalized stigma among community-dwelling consumers with schizophrenia.

PMID:36029474 | DOI:10.1111/inm.13056

Mil Med. 2022 Aug 27:usac257. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac257. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Veterans and service members (V/SM) may have more risk factors for arrest and felony incarceration (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder and at-risk substance use) but also more protective factors (e.g., access to health care) to mitigate behaviors that may lead to arrest. As such, understanding which factors are associated with criminal justice involvement among V/SM could inform prevention and treatment efforts. The current study examined relationships between lifetime history of arrests and felony incarceration and sociodemographic, psychological, and brain injury characteristics factors among combat V/SM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study was a secondary data analysis from the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium multicenter cohort study, approved by local institutional review boards at each study site. Participants were V/SM (N = 1,540) with combat exposure (19% active duty at time of enrollment) who were recruited from eight Department of Veterans Affairs and DoD medical centers and completed a baseline assessment. Participants were predominantly male (87%) and white (72%), with a mean age of 40 years (SD = 9.7). Most (81%) reported a history of at least one mild traumatic brain injury, with one-third of those experiencing three or more mild traumatic brain injuries (33%). Participants completed a self-report measure of lifetime arrest and felony incarceration history, a structured interview for all potential concussive events, the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption. Three groups were compared on self-reported level of lifetime history of criminal justice system involvement: (1) no history of arrest or incarceration (65%); (2) history of arrest but no felony incarceration (32%); and (3) history of felony incarceration (3%).

RESULTS: Ordinal regression analyses revealed that hazardous alcohol consumption (β = .44, P < .001; odds ratio = 1.56) was positively associated with increased criminal justice involvement after adjusting for all other variables. Being married or partnered (β = -.44, P < .001; odds ratio = 0.64) was negatively associated with decreased criminal justice involvement.

CONCLUSIONS: The rate of lifetime arrest (35%) in this V/SM sample was consistent with rates of arrests in the U.S. general population. One modifiable characteristic associated with lifetime arrest and felony incarceration was hazardous alcohol consumption. Alcohol use should be a top treatment target for V/SM at risk for arrest and those with history of criminal justice involvement.

PMID:36029468 | DOI:10.1093/milmed/usac257

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Aug 27. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-22720-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Land use in uplands is an important factor affecting water quality in its respective catchment, and its influences at the different spatial scales and configurations warrant further investigation. Here, we selected 26 catchments in the upper Han River (China) and sampled the surface water at the outlet of each catchment in four seasons during 2019. Multivariate statistics were used to identify the relationships between land use characteristics in uplands and water quality in river system. The results indicated that chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn); pH; dissolved oxygen; electrical conductivity; nutrient, i.e., NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^–-N; and dissolved phosphorus (DP) in rivers displayed significant seasonal variations. Stepwise regression revealed that landscape metrics such as patch density, landscape shape index, and splitting index were important factors influencing water quality in rivers regardless of their spatiality and seasonality. Urban was the most frequently chosen land-use type in the best prediction models, and forest area showed a negative correlation with water quality parameters in most cases for example, DP. Overall, the influence of land use on river water quality was slightly stronger at reach scale than at catchment and riparian scales. Also, nutrients (i.e., NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^–-N, and DP) in rivers were primarily impacted by the land use characteristic at catchment and riparian scales. Our results suggested that multi-scale explorations would help to achieve a fully understanding on the impacts of land use on river water quality.

PMID:36029448 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-22720-7

AIDS Behav. 2022 Aug 27. doi: 10.1007/s10461-022-03829-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

To date, there are no established scales to assess PrEP stigma among youth. We validated the Youth PrEP Stigma Scale within the Adolescent Trials Network P3 study (2019-2021). Data from sexual and gender minority youth (16-24 years) who were prescribed PrEP across nine domestic sites were evaluated (N = 235). Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and correlation coefficients are reported. Results yielded a three-factor solution (PrEP Disapproval by Others, Enacted PrEP Stigma, and PrEP User Stereotypes) with strong factor loadings and Cronbach’s alphas ranging from 0.83 to 0.90, suggesting excellent internal consistency. Correlations between this Scale, anticipated HIV stigma, perceived HIV risk, and disclosure of sexual identity were significant, indicating potential for robust application. Given the persistence of HIV infections among youth, stigma as a barrier to prevention, and expansion of PrEP modalities, the Youth PrEP Stigma Scale could enhance intervention and mechanistic research among youth at elevated risk for HIV acquisition.

PMID:36029425 | DOI:10.1007/s10461-022-03829-9

Bull Math Biol. 2022 Aug 27;84(10):108. doi: 10.1007/s11538-022-01064-w.

ABSTRACT

As the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, it is badly needed to develop vaccination guidelines to prioritize the vaccination delivery in order to effectively stop COVID-19 epidemic and minimize the loss. We evaluated the effect of age-specific vaccination strategies on the number of infections and deaths using an SEIR model, considering the age structure and social contact patterns for different age groups for each of different countries. In general, the vaccination priority should be given to those younger people who are active in social contacts to minimize the number of infections, while the vaccination priority should be given to the elderly to minimize the number of deaths. But this principle may not always apply when the interaction of age structure and age-specific social contact patterns is complicated. Partially reopening schools, workplaces or households, the vaccination priority may need to be adjusted accordingly. Prematurely reopening social contacts could initiate a new outbreak or even a new pandemic out of control if the vaccination rate and the detection rate are not high enough. Our result suggests that it requires at least nine months of vaccination (with a high vaccination rate > 0.1%) for Italy and India before fully reopening social contacts in order to avoid a new pandemic.

PMID:36029391 | DOI:10.1007/s11538-022-01064-w